Do You Ever Wonder
by kkcnelson2002
Summary: Do you ever wonder what would happen if you made other choices, if you let yourself grow. What happens when Puck and Rachel help eachother find the people they were meant to be.
1. Chapter 1

Hi Everyone,

Finally, a new Glee story from me. This one doesn't start off with a bang but a conversation between two people who may or may not be friends. Come explore with me as Rachel and Puck face some personal challenges together. Hopefully, if the characters do what I want them too, we will all enjoy some romance and fun along the way.

As always the story is mine, the characters are not. The story behinds just after Mercedes has broken up with Puck and before Rachel has listened to the tape Jesse found. I will try to stay close to the show's storyline but may change that as the story continues.

Enjoy!

******Chapter 1******

People that live in places other than Lima, Ohio may not think 58 degrees is warm, but after months of ice and snow, Midwesterners go a little nuts and brings out the shorts and flip flops while others are still wearing their winter coats. Puck, being the badass that he was, was no different. He had thrown on a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt for his usual Saturday morning run hoping to stop the thoughts running though his head by running his body past its limits. He was finishing his ninth lap of the mile-long track around the city park when he was distracted by the children's laughter coming from the playground. He stopped at a bench a few yards away to watch as a small girl, with long blond hair flowing in the wind, as she ran up and down the slide, shrieking in glee as her father chased her and tried to catch her between trips up the stairs. There were other children on the playground with their parents as well, but it was the little girl and her father that caught his attention.

_Fuck, why am I putting myself though this hell. I wonder what she'll look like. I'll never be the one to tease her and watch over her._

As he felt his muscles twitch occasionally from the long run, he also felt a vise tighten around his heart as his thoughts centered on the daughter he would never know. Without looking, he felt Rachel as she walked up and sat down next to him, slightly out of breath from her own run. He tensed, waiting for her never-ending chatter to start: instead, she remained silent and passed him her water bottle without taking her own eyes off the scene he was watching.

"Thanks," he murmured after taking a long drink and passing the bottle back to her while taking in her long running pants and long sleeve shirt as he leaned forward to rest his forearms on his legs.

"I'm sorry."

"For?" He turned his head back to look at her.

"That abhorrent video I tricked you into making, my attempt at video promiscuity was less than successful and only hurt people that I care about."

"Lame attempt at badassness." He smirked at her as he leaned back on the bench and absentmindedly rested his arm around the back of the bench behind her. They fell back into silence for several minutes before he added, "I would've still done it if you had told me the truth."

"Really?" She leaned further back as she looked up to him. He felt her relax as he drew lazy circles on her shoulder.

"No, that song was terrible, but I would have helped you find a better one." They continued to sit in comfortable silence as the laughter of more children joined those already at the park. "I wish things could be different."

"What do you mean?" He could feel her looking at him but couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye.

"I wish I wasn't the deadbeat he is." Puck felt Rachel's hand on his cheek as she forced him to look into her dark brown eyes.

"You are not like him." He just raised an eyebrow in response and started to turn away.

She had caught his face with both her hands and forced him to look at her. "You're not."

"I'm leaving my kid; I swore I would never do that." He tore his face from her grasp and leaned forward distancing himself from her.

"No, Noah… that's… that's a complete falsehood… you're giving her the best life… the best opportunities you can." She reached out her hand and tried to pull him back. "Noah, the reality is that you and Quinn are giving her the most selfless gift you ever could."

"Is that what you think… about your mom leaving you?" he demanded as he turned back to her with his hazel eyes blazing.

"It's different with me." For just a second he saw hurt flash though expressive chocolate eyes.

"Why?" His voice came out much gentler than he had planned as he relaxed onto the bench again.

"Because she wasn't a teenage girl who made a mistake, she was paid." Puck felt her body go rigid next to his, and he again placed his arm around Rachel as she stared unseeing in front of her. "As much as I love my dads, I still wonder how she could do that… just leave me and take the money."

_Oh shit, what the hell am I supposed to say to that?_ "I thought you were just adopted, like a normal person." He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze as he gave her one of his trademark smirks.

"That wouldn't be very Berry of me, would it?" She smirked back as she allowed him to pull her closer into his body.

"Tell me."

"She was a surrogate. Did you know Ohio is one of the only states with surrogacy laws? She was paid to have a child for my fathers. They mixed their stuff together and then performed invitro. We still don't know who my biological father is."

"It's called sperm," he softly teased, "and you can't tell me you don't know who your bio daddy is, come on, one of your dads is black and the other is a total Jew." He tweaked her nose with his free hand.

"Fine," she huffed. "Still doesn't explain how she could do it."

"Do you ever wonder about her, or what your life would be like, if she had stayed around?"

"Don't misunderstand, my dads are wonderful but there are some things I just can't talk to them about. And yes, sometimes I wonder if I could have talked to her."

"What kinds of things?" He watched her face suddenly turn red as she looked back at him.

"Girl things. I'm not talking to you about it either." Puck could fell the heat of her blush as she crossed her arms protectively, pursed her lips and moved slightly away from him on the bench.

"Oh, the word is sex, Berry." He laughed at her.

"No, the word is menstruation, Noah." She glared at him as she continued, "While I am sure losing your virginity can be awkward, it cannot possibly be worse than telling your two fathers that Aunt Flow is visiting for the first time, or the horrific trip to the drug store that followed."

"Fuck, I'm glad my sister has a mom." _Shit, I think I'm blushing._

"Agreed." In the somewhat uncomfortable silence that followed, Puck turned his attention back to watching the playground. The little blond girl and her father were leaving. She was riding on his hip with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Do you think about her though? Wonder what she's like?"

"I found-well, Jesse found-a tape she left me in a box my dads kept." He turned and lifted an eyebrow at her. _Please Berry, do you not see the fool this guy is playing you for? _

"Did you listen to it?"

"No." He felt her tremble next to him and pulled her closer into his body, wrapping his arm all the way around her.

"Why?" _That idiot must be up to something._

"I'm afraid, what if she never wants anything to do with me? What if I was just a business deal to her? What if she's singing on the tape? What if she's terrible? Or worse: what if she's better than me? Jesse wanted me to listen to it but it's just moving too fast, it's my choice, it's my life." The silence wrapped around them again and Puck continued to hold her against him until he felt her shoulders drop and she let out a sigh. "I didn't want Jesse there when I heard it for the first time."

"Don't you trust him? I mean, I thought the two of you were a thing_?" Not that the jerk deserves you._

"Jesse has a wonderful voice, but sometimes…sometimes I wonder if Kurt and Mercedes are right and he's just interested in me because of Regionals. He is on spring break with them now." Her back had gone poker straight as she now sat stiffly next to him.

"You broke up with me because you thought I loved Quinn.. why are you still with him if you think he's more into Vocal Adrenaline than you?"

She suddenly stood up and turned to face him, "Maybe because he is better at pretending to like me than you or Finn were, maybe because I want to be wanted for me, without Quinn in the middle."

He looked up at her with something close to pain in his eyes, "I lied that day. When I choose Glee, I choose you and maybe…" he stood and reached for her hand, "maybe I choose me too, or the me I wish I could be. I wouldn't have broken up with you."

Her eyebrows knit together as she continued to look into his eyes, "Why did you stop here today, Noah? I mean, sitting watching kids play in the park doesn't seem like a badass thing to do."

Puck turn away toward the playground, "Mercedes said some things to me that started me thinking. Wondering what my life would be like if I had my shit together. Maybe there is more to me than just being a stud."

He could see her trying not to laugh out of the corner of his eye, "What?" He gave her his best Puck glare

"Stud? I'm suddenly envisioning race horses put out to pasture until their services are needed."

"Berry," he sighed in exasperation and dropped the hand he hadn't realized he was still holding, "this is why I don't do feelings and shit." With that, he started to turn and walk away.

"Noah, I'm sorry." She reached out and grabbed his forearm, "I shouldn't have laughed, but it's only because I know there is so much more to you than just that. As long as we're having this surprisingly honest and personal conversation, I should tell you that you are the only person that I have ever trusted."

"What are you talking about?" He stopped pulling away and turned back to her.

"Noah, you never lie to me, even when you were throwing slushies at me you were honest about it. I believe you would say that `you own that shit' if I remember correctly. You always help me if I ask, even when you know it's a lame attempt at badassness, plus, good or bad, you never sugarcoat what you think about something or someone else."

He just stood looking into her eyes as what she said echoed in his mind, "Thanks… look, if you want someone around when you listen to the tape call me." He spoke quickly, rubbing his now missing Mohawk. "You, like, shouldn't have to be alone if you don't want to be."

"Thank you, Noah. I'll think about it." She was still looking into his eyes as she let go of his arm.

"Okay, well I gotta go. I promised Quinn I'd sneak some bacon in for her, Mom doesn't let pork in the house."

"Alright, I should go to, Jesse thinks I'm listening to the tape now."

"Don't let him pressure you into anything."

On impulse he bent and gave Rachel a quick, hard hug before turning and running toward home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi Everyone, **

**Sorry this took so long. We just closed on a new house and are trying to get everything fixed, painted and packed to move in. I have to send out a huge thank you to Beth, as always she is the best beta anyone could ask for and all of the readers benefit from her taking the time to help me as well. For all of you who have read, reviewed and added this story to your alerts and favorites, I am deeply humbled and totally excited! Thank you!**

****** Chapter 2******

The hallway was filled with people scrambling about between morning classes, due to the fact that first period had just let out. Puck was still doing okay on his goal to be a better person; so far this morning he had yet to throw someone into a dumpster or terrorize a freshmen, but the day was still young.

"So, I see one hottie isn't enough for you, now you have Rachel Berry panting after you as well. Is she a screamer? I bet she lets out the best high note." The weird computer geek had suddenly popped into Puck's line of vision.

"Are you talking to me?" he demanded as he grabbed the shorter boy and threw him against the nearest locker.

"I am merely inquiring if Puckleberry is back on, with St. James away my readers want the latest information, and word is that one baby mama isn't enough for you. Of course, details are always appreciated and it's no secret that Rachel is on many spank bank lists."

"Listen, you little turd," Puck slammed him against the locker again. "One word about Quinn or Berry in that stupid blog of yours, and I castrate you and make you eat your own balls."

"You're just jealous that I have a pair of Rachel's panties and you don't. I guess the Puckerone isn't as irresistible as he thinks he is."

With one quick glance up and down the hall Puck pulled back his fist and gave the shorter boy an upper cut to the kidneys that knocked the wind out of him and left him in a heap on the floor. _Fuck, one frigging hour and I've already punched someone; not that the fucker didn't need it. Why the hell does he have Berry's shit? Hell, she is waiting at my locker. But Christ her ass looks good in those jeans. _

Out of years of practice, Puck put on his best smirk and swagger to keep the student body out of his way as he walked over to a fidgeting Rachel. He rested his shoulder on his locker and bent over to whisper in her ear, "You look hot in jeans; you know you can't resist me forever."

Rachel had turned her head to look at him and their lips were just millimeters apart. Time seemed to stand still and the noise around them fell to silence.

"Noah…" He could feel her breath on his lips, "I can't." She tore her head away, looking back at the floor.

"One day you will." With that he straightened up and opened his locker and threw the textbook he hadn't bothered to open in class into the pile at the bottom. "So why are you standing here looking like a toddler that has to pee?"

"I was wondering if your offer is still open."

"You know you have a standing invitation to tap this anytime." He gave her a suggestive onceover from head to toe and could hear her breath hitch as he watched her chest rise and fall in her tight white oxford. _Shit, yeah Berry, I know exactly what I do to you._

"Noah Puckerman, that's completely disrespectful and not at all what I'm talking about." She glared up at him as she crossed her arms in front of herself not realizing the enhanced view she provided him.

"But you're not denying it, are you, sweetheart?" He just raised his eyebrow at her and laughed as she stomped her foot.

"Forget it, Puck." She started to walk away, and he reached out and grabbed her elbow.

"Don't go. I was just playing. Why were you waiting for me and what do you have in that death grip of yours?"

She turned back toward him, but didn't meet his eyes, just stared at some spot on the floor between her feet as she reached out her hand and opened her palm, face up. He could see her hand was red with dents from the edges of the square case she had been gripping like a lifeline. He gently took it from her and turned it over to read a subscription that read 'From Mother to Daughter.'

"It's the recording Jesse found while going though boxes of my childhood achievements. I wanted to inquire if you were available to listen to it with me, and if your offer in the park was sincere."_Shit, feelings again… this is why I don't do feelings…_

"Yeah, come on, lets go out to my truck." He sighed, handing the tape to her, and placing a hand at the small of her back to give her a nudge.

"Noah, we can't, I thought maybe you could meet me during lunch," she protested, while walking in the direction he was guiding her.

"Berry, you're going to burst if we wait that long, it won't kill you to skip a class. My truck is ten years old; I have a CD player and tape deck in it."

"But I'm not ready, not really." She continued to protest as she walked out the entrance with him and headed toward his F150.

"Bullshit, if you weren't ready you wouldn't have hauled your cookies from one end of the school to the other to wait by my locker with enough time to spare to watch me drop Jew-Fro." He stopped and opened the truck door for her and took her books as she climbed in.

"I saw you watching." He winked at her as he closed her door and walked around to the driver's side. _I am the fucking man, getting Berry to skip, epic shit right here, and she was total in awe of the guns. Wait, that peeve has her…._

"Which reminds me; why in the hell does Jacob Ben-Israel have a pair of your underwear?" He demanded as he turned the key in the ignition to start the stereo.

"It doesn't matter." Rachel answered as she passed the tape back to Puck with her hand visibly shaking.

"You wouldn't let me touch your boobs but you gave him your panties?" Puck cocked an eyebrow. "It matters. My rep is on the line here." He mocked scowled at her as he inserted the tape into the cassette player.

"I never wore them, I just gave them to him so he wouldn't write about Quinn in his blog." Rachel was staring at his hands as he pushed play. "I'm going to hyperventilate."

"Look at me" He had quickly pushed the pause button and had turned sideways in the truck to face her. "Breathe, calm down" _I can't believe I'm about to say this, I am going to sound like a pussy._ "Do you want to hold my hand?" he asked, and reached out the hand that had been resting on the back of the bench seat.

He could see the relief in her eyes as she latched onto his hand between them and reached forward to hit the play button. Static could be heard just before a voice started speaking.

_ "Hi baby, it's your mom, Shelby Corcoran. I think this pretty much says it all."_

For the next three minutes the lyrics of "I Dreamed a Dream" enveloped Rachel and Puck. A beautiful voice rose and fell, creating an aching since of lose and regret, of hope and dreams and wanting unfilled.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Rachel's voice had been small and when Puck looked over, there were tears running down her face. _Oh, hell, she just had to cry._ He pulled her into his arms and let her weep into his favorite t-shirt. After a few minutes she pulled herself together and back away from him.

"Thank you, I'm sorry I cried all over you." She wiped the last tears from her face and dried her hands on her jeans. "I'm not sure what to do now. I think, I may know who she is but…" _I am a fucking glutton for punishment, probably won't even get any action out of this either. What the fuck is my problem?_ He grabbed the stick shift and threw the truck into reverse.

"Noah, where are you taking me? I have Greek mythology to attend." Her brows knit together and Puck could see her revving up for a lecture. _Only Berry takes fucking Greek Myth._

"I'm taking you home." He put the truck in drive and started of towards the exit gates.

"Noah, we can't leave. Why are we going to my house anyway?"

"Because your Internet is faster than mine, and I don't think you want to look up personal shit in the library."

"Oh."

"Oh? The always eloquent Rachel Berry just says oh?"

"Eloquent?"

"Just because I think school is a waste doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"Why do we need the Internet? I don't feel like posting a MySpace video currently, although music is very soothing."

Puck let up a deep breath and run his hand down his face, struggling not to roll his eyes or strangle her.

"Because, Berry, with stealth you can find anyone on the Internet. I figured since you have a name, we would start there."

"What do you know about the finding people online?" Rachel asked as they pulled into her driveway.

Puck waited until they were at her front door, "Berry, how many times do I have to tell you I'm a badass, part of the rep is knowing how to find crap to blackmail people with-you know, espionage and shit." _Spying is always fucking awesome, how else would I know about Figgins and that hilarious commercial?_

"Noah, are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked, as she led him to her room_. Still looks the same from when we dated, right down to the glitter message taped to her elliptical._

He reached out a hand to stop her as she bent to turn on her laptop. "Rachel, I'm not going to force you to do something you're not ready for. You know her name, do you really want all your questions answered? Sometimes the answers aren't what we want."

"Did you ask why your dad left?" He let go of her shoulder and walked over to look out the window.

"Yes." He felt her walk up behind him and place a hand in the middle of his back.

"And you didn't get the answers you wanted."

"He's a deadbeat, Rach, he didn't have any real reason other than being a father was too much work." He took a deep breath and turned to face her. "But this isn't about me, it's about you. Are you sure you want to find her?"

He watched her lick her lips and bite down on the bottom one before she squared her shoulders and turned back to the computer. "Yes, will you help me?" Her huge brown eyes looked up him almost begging Puck to help her.

"Yeah. Here, let me. Goggle is always a good first stop after that we can look up stuff like credit scores, job history and crap if you want." He quickly typed in "Shelby Corcoran" and milliseconds later, pages of information appeared. The first of many articles began:

'Shelby Corcoran, acclaimed director of Vocal Adrenaline…"


	3. Chapter 3

**First, I am sorry that so much time has passed between updates, as with other writers real live seems to crush all our good intentions of updating regularly. As always I give big cyber hugs to Beth, without her editing skills… trust me you are all much happier reading after she giving me her advice. To those of you who have tagged this story or Sanctuary, wow it's just amazing, I don't have words enough to thank you.**

**Chapter 3**

Puck was sitting on the living room couch watching HBO's _True Blood_, _Eric Northman is the best mother fucking badass, plus I hear that chick swings both ways; violence, naked chicks, sex on TV, what the hell else could you want? Oh shit, the door! _Puck quickly flipped to a different channel as the front door opened. _I'll Hulu later._

"Hey, are you okay?" He jumped of the couch and rushed to Quinn's side. She was white as a ghost and was resting her hand on her stomach which, he had learned the hard way, could mean one of many things or nothing at all.

"What's wrong, is the baby OK?" Quinn was still looking rather dazed and there were tears swimming in her eyes. _Don't cry, don't cry, please don't cry._

"Rachel, Mercedes and I went to spy on Vocal Adrenaline" Quinn walked over to the couch and fell onto it.

"Shit, Quinn, wha'd you do that for?" He watched as she nervously rubbed her stomach, he knew counter clockwise meant she's really upset (you don't get to be a sex god without paying attention to how girls touch themselves and liked to be touched).

"We wanted to see if they were really doing Lady Gaga… they're awesome… and then Rachel freaked out, well, more than her normal freak out."

"What the hell does that mean, Q?" He could feel a knot forming in the pit of his stomach, and scowled. _Stupid 7-Eleven nachos._

"Did you know the coach was Rachel's mother?" Quinn looked up into his eyes.

"Fuck."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What happened, is Berry okay?" Puck flopped down next to Quinn.

"Why do you care, I didn't think you were friends?" Quinn asked while lifting one perfectly arched brow.

"We're not friends; we just have this weird thing is all."

"Puck, for the most part, you irritate me, but you can be a good guy, when you're not being an ass. I think you should call her. She stayed to talk to that woman, but when she came out to the car after, she didn't talk the whole ride home. Honestly Puck, this is Rachel, the girl never shuts up."

"Shit."

"Noah Puckerman, STOP swearing, STOP pretending to watch Lifetime and DO something!" Puck jerked as Quinn yelled in his ear.

"And what would you like me to do, Fabray?"

"I don't know, just fix it. Why can't anything be simple anymore?" With that, Quinn hauled herself off the couch and stomped up to the room she and Puck's sister shared.

He'd drove around looking for her for over an hour. First he tried her house, but her dad said she was at dance class. Next he tried the dance studio, but the building was dark and the parking lot empty. After that, he actually tried the school but came up empty-handed there too. _Where the hell would Berry go? Shit, who does she hang with after school? I don't even know… Fuck! Why didn't I think of that earlier! _

Puck quickly made an illegal u-turn and headed to the city park. Sure enough, she was there on the bench near the playground. He parked the F150 and walked over to her. She had her knees pulled up to her chin and her arms wrapped around herself.

"Hey," he greeted her, as he took his hands out of his jeans pockets and sat down next to her.

"Hello, Noah," Rachel responded, without looking at him.

"Are you okay? Quinn told me that you went to spy on VA without the guys. Trying to take my place as the school's badass again?" He carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulder and rested it on the back of the bench.

"I met her. My mother." In an uncharacteristic move, she moved closer into his side and rested her head on his shoulder while still holding her knees protectively.

"Quinn told me, she's worried about you. What happened after the girls left?" He brought his arm more firmly around her and held her.

"We talked. It was… perplexing. To be honest, I did most of the talking and we were sitting several feet from each other and gazing at the stage not each other. They do have a wonderful venue. Shelby and I are so equivalent, but her Broadway aspirations were never realized, do you believe my destiny will be a reflection of hers? " She turned questioning eyes up to him

"Berry, you are the one person in this crappy cow town that I know is getting out. If you don't make it on Broadway, it will only be because some producer in Hollywood makes up a musical TV show for you to star in."

"Noah Puckerman that is the most absurd idea I have ever heard of." She gave a small laugh and relaxed back against the bench while dropping her legs down. "I don't think she wants me, at least not the person I am now. My mother was looking for the infant she gave away, and didn't really know what to do with the individual I am. I attempted to ascertain if she wanted to go somewhere together and get to know each other but she bolted, said she couldn't… I'm not entirely sure what she said, as I was too emotional to comprehend it all."

"How are you now? Q said you didn't talk on the way home and she was freaked out." _Okay, maybe I was too, why the hell else would I look all over town for you?_

"Numb, hurt, confused, sad, maybe a little happy… I actually have too many emotions coursing through me to know what I'm feeling. I just know I'm not ready to see my dads yet."

"It's getting dark and you can't stay out here forever, do you want to go back to my house?" _I cannot believe I just asked that, what a pussy. _

"Noah, that's very gallant of you but I'm not ready to interact with other people."

"Not a problem, my mom would freak over you anyway. You still can't stay out here alone, how about a movie? I'll continue with my white knight act and let you pick the flick." With his arm still wrapped around her, Puck looked down at her with his best you-know-you-want-me look.

Rachel actually smirked back at him, "Any movie I want?"

"You're going to make me regret this aren't you." He sighed as he stood up and held out a hand to help Rachel up.

"What if I promise there will be blood and guts?" She teased as she took his hand and let him lead her back to his truck.

"Somehow I am not reassured."

Two and a half hours, two frozen cokes and a bucket of popcorn later, Puck was sure that this time, Berry really was going to make him set himself on fire.

"Berry that was the lamest, most pathetic vampire movie ever made, are my brains oozing out of my ears yet?" He pronounced dramatically as they exited the theater and he leaned down so she could see his ears.

"Noah, the _Twilight_ series is a wonderful depiction of both a love triage, with the relationships between the three main characters, and the moral struggles of our generation."

"Come on Rach, sparklingly vampires with no fangs, lame; that emo Edward hardly kissing the chick, lame. Let alone that fact that that chick can't stand up for herself and uses everyone else's opinions to validate herself, that's just stupid. I can't believe you like that crap."

"Oh, and you know a better vampire story that includes love triangles, humans, vampires and werewolves?" Rachel laughed at him as they walked back out to his truck.

"Hell yeah, _True Blood_ beats that crap any day." Puck opened her door as Rachel climbed in.

"I've never seen it." Rachel told Puck as he entered though the driver side door.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me, Berry; Eric Northman is the biggest badass on cable."

"Is he a werewolf? I mean, in Twilight they're in excellent physical condition."

"Excellent physical condition?" he said laughing, "Is that Berry speak for, you thought they were hot?" He couldn't help the laugh that escaped as he watch her turn red and try to avoid him as he opened the truck door for her. _ She's hilarious all red faced and twitchy, need to find a reason to be shirtless just to get her all hot and bothered for me instead of those stupid wolves. Where the hell did that come from? Too much emo crap for me. _

Puck had pulled out onto the road before Rachel spoke to him again, "So how are things working out with Quinn and the baby?"

"She's mad at me again, didn't like the name I suggested."

"I didn't know you were going to name the baby."

"Quinn said that's part of why she's giving her away, so she wouldn't have to do that stuff with me, but I don't know, it just, I guess I feel like we should name her, even if it's just for ourselves. I can't spend my whole life thinking of her as just 'baby girl Fabray' or some shit."

"What was the name you suggested?" Rachel asked as they turned onto her street.

"Jackie Daniels."

"Uh no, Noah that is terrible, you can't name a baby after an alcoholic beverage." She practically shrieked in his ear as she hit him in the arm.

"What? It's a completely badass name! And it's not like that was what we were drinking when we made her." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rachel drop her face into her hands and shake her head from side to side.

"How can you be so insightful and clueless at the same time? Why don't you try telling Quinn why you want to name the baby and then use a regular name as a suggestion."

"And what name would you suggest, oh wise one," He shot out with an irritated growl as he pulled into her driveway.

"Bathsheba." Puck could feel his jaw drop as Rachel looked him straight in the eye. "It's a strong Jewish name." She said with a completely serious look on her face until she broke into a huge grin and bark of laughter erupted from her. "Now you know how Quinn felt," she managed to get out between giggles.

"Fine, you made your point," he grumbled as he put the truck in park.

Suddenly Rachel reached over and grabbed his hand, "Thank you Noah, for finding me and letting me lean on you for a couple of hours, I know you have your own issues to deal with and this really meant a lot to me."

"It's cool, are you going to be okay now?" Puck asked as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yes, and tell Quinn I said thank you as well." Rachel lend forward and quickly kissed his check before, letting go of his hand, opening the truck door and running up her front steps.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Puck pulled the F150 into what he was starting to consider "his" parking space at the park. He was man enough to admit, if only to himself, that he was looking for her without being prompted by someone else.

_Shit I'm good, right where I thought she'd be, sitting on our bench…Our bench, what the fuck? Where the hell did that come from? _Puck continued his mental tirade as he exited the truck and walked over to Rachel. His walk was all swagger and power, just in case she happened to hear the truck door slam and look up.

She didn't.

"Hey, I thought I'd find you here" He sat down on the bench, jean incased legs spread wide and arm thrown around the back of the bench behind Rachel, invading her space.

"Hello Noah, may I inquire as to why you are currently intruding on my personal space?" Her back was ram rod strait with her knees clamped together and her arms tightly wrapped around her.

"Shit Rach, that egg thing St. James pulled was totally uncalled for. Since Shue won't let us beat the crap out of him I thought maybe you could use a friend." He wrapped his arm around her and forced her into his side.

"Is that what we are Noah, friends?"

"I don't know. I mean usually girls fall into two categories, ones I've tapped and those I'd like to, and then there's you." He shrugged as he looked down into her big brown eyes.

"So because we have not had sexual intercourse and evidently you do not find me in anyway attractive, yet you still engage in conversation with me, then we must be friends by default?"

"Fuck, Berry, that's not what I meant. You're like the only person I can actually talk to about feelings and shit." Puck nervously rubbed his buzzed head. "Shit Rachel, you know I'm bad this kind of stuff, and you're totally spank bank material." His eyes pleaded with her to understand what he was trying to say.

"I think there was a complement in that deplorable speech somewhere." She shook her head and relaxed back into his side.

"Okay, so back to St. Douche, that was a shit ass thing to do. I mean, I thought he was a dick but you liked him and he took things too far, even Santana and I were never that bad to each other." He felt her relax into his side and lean her head on his shoulder as she exhaled a huge sigh.

"It pains me to admit, but apparently Kurt and Mercedes were accurate in their assessment of Jessie's character. I just wanted to be acknowledged so intensely that I was willing to overlook the warnings."

"Rach," Puck reached down and put his hand under her chin and gently tilted her face to look up at him. "You have always been wanted; remember I choose you over football and my team mates." Their lips were almost touching and he could feel her breath on his face.

"Then why did you break up with me?" Rachel asked in a breathless voice as Puck watched her watching his lips.

"I didn't break up with you, you choose Finn." With that he broke the tension around them and turned his face toward the playground. "Just like everyone else."

"But you said you would have broken up with me."

"Hell Berry, I lied. What did you expect me to say?"

"I didn't know." The silence surrounded them until Puck dropped his arm from around her and grabbed her hand forcing her to stand up with him.

"Come on we're leaving." He stated as her led them back to his truck.

"Where are we going?" She asked while trying to keep pace with his longer strides.

"It's Friday night and I need a fucking drink, hell so do you after the shitastic day you've had. We're going to a bar." Puck informed her as he opened the truck door for her and slammed it behind her.

"Noah Puckerman we cannot enter a drinking establishment!" He could hear her screeching as he climbed into the driver seat.

"Relax Berry, I know the owner." _Fucker owns me a hell of a lot more than a couple of free drinks._

"How far is it?" Rachel spoke up as they passed the back of the "Welcome to Lima" sign.

"Findlay"

"Findlay? Noah that's 40 minutes away."

"So."

"I can't just tramps off to Findlay; my Dads will be extremely upset."

"Call them and tell them you're spending the night at Brit's or some crap."

"Why Britney's?" Rachel retrieved her phone from the back pocket of her jeans as she squirmed around in her seat.

"Because, she always has two or three people spending the night, easy cover."

"I can't believe I'm actually participating in this ridiculous scheme." Puck heard her hit speed dial and leave a message for her fathers. "Where exactly are we going to spend the night?"

"Relax, I have a place for us to stay and you don't even have to worry about drinking and driving later. Which I know is going to be the next thing you bitch about."

"Just because I am concerned about your welfare does not mean I am bitching as you so elegantly phrased it." Rachel huffed next to him.

"Whatever." Puck dismissed her as he reached over and turned on the radio picking some crap that he knew Rachel would sing along to.

Twenty minutes later Puck parked his truck behind a seedy looking bar on the out skirts of Findlay. It was a nondescript building with a neon sign stating "Jake's" above the door. Rachel reached over and grabbed Puck's hand before he could exit the F150.

"Noah are you sure this establishment is safe?"

"Yeah." Puck laugh at her as he jerked her towards him and out the driver's side door. Puck threw his arm around her shoulders as they stopped inside the door and let their eyes adjust to the dim enterer.

He watched her face as she took in the room, booths to their left along the side wall, pool table and juke box on the back wall along with a hall leading to a staircase and restrooms. There were tables and chairs in the main area with the bar next to them on the right completing the room. It was when she noticed the bartender he saw the confusion. He watched as Rachel recognizes the hazel eyes, dark hair and familiar build.

"Noah?" She turned back and looked up in to his matching set of hazel eyes. He just nodded his head and led her over to an empty table between the bar and pool table.

"I said he left, not that I didn't know where he was." He informed her as he looked around and assessed the other people in the bar, mostly blue collar folks with a few seemingly required old men sitting at the bar. He watched the bartender finish pouring a beer and move from behind the bar toward their table.

"Noah, it's good to see you. How's your mom?"

"Hannah and mom are fine." Puck watched his father glance down to the table as Rachel put her hand over his that was clinched into a fist and give it a gentle squeeze.

"Who's your friend?" His father turned the Puckerman smirk onto Rachel.

"Rachel this is Jake." Puck looked into her eyes and nodded his head toward his father by way of introduction.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Puckerman." Puck let out a small breath as he realized that Rachel didn't seem to be affected by the charm his father was laying on.

"So, what can I get you both?"

"Bring us a couple of Buds." Puck answered for both of them.

"So you'll be staying tonight?" _Just about the only parental thing the ass has ever said._ Puck fished the truck keys out of his pocket and handed them over to Jake before he left to fill their order.

"Exactly where will we be staying tonight, Noah?" Rachel asked in that tone of voice that was like nails on a chalk board.

"Don't get you panties in a knot; I have a room upstairs that he keeps open for me."

"What makes you think I'm going to spend the night with you?" Rachel asked him and for the first time all night he wasn't sure if she was outraged or intrigued by the idea. _Oh fuck it._

"Because, Rachel Barbara Berry, tonight I am going to teach you how to drink and not get a hangover. I'll have you know this is a very valuable skill, not to be taken lightly."

"Exactly how is this lesson valuable?" Rachel returned his smirk with one of her own.

"When you're a huge Broadway star and have all those after parties to attend, you'll better understand the value of not worshipping the porcelain god the next morning before your matinee performances." Puck smiled as he watched Rachel contemplate his declaration as Jake returned to their table with two bottles of beer, a pitcher of water and a couple glasses.

"Let me know if you need anything from the grill." Jake spoke before turning and catching the eye of a woman in a very short skirt as she bent over the pool table.

"For the sake of furthering my experiences and my future performance ability…" Whatever Rachel continued to say was completely lost on Puck as the phase _performance ability_ and visions of Rachel naked slammed though his brain.

"Noah…PUCK are you listening to me?" Rachel asked as she reached over and hit him in the shoulder.

"Sorry," Puck said shaking his head and shifting in his seat. "What were we talking about, oh yeah, teaching you to drink." He mumbled to himself trying to buy a little time to get his body back under control. "OK, so the thing about a hangover is it is really just dehydration. All you need to do is keep you water intake up to counter act your kidneys trying to clean out the alcohol."

Rachel lifted the beer bottle to her lips and suddenly the lyrics to Brad Paisley's Ticks blared from the juke box.

_'Every time you take a sip_

_ In this smoky atmosphere_

_ You press that bottle to your lips_

_ And I wish I was your beer'_

Never before had a song made more sense to him.

**Author Note** – I feel like I should finish this story but I have no idea where it is going, any and all suggestions are completely welcomed and begged for. This chapter has not had the benefit of a beta so all mistakes are mine alone.


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